Giant duck conquers Taiwan

By Hiufu Wong, CNN

Updated 0500 GMT (1300 HKT) September 25, 2013

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Photos:Giant duck to conquer Taiwan

Rubber duck cometh – Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's 18-meter rubber duck is currently floating in the harbor in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. The city's enthusiastic regard for the great bird helped it beat out dozens of other suitors who wanted a visit.

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Photos:Giant duck to conquer Taiwan

Biggest thing in Taiwan – The duck has made waves before (see below), but Taiwan could be its most successful stop. On its first day in town, the duck drew 200,000 spectators to the harbor. Kaohsiung City has a population of 2.3 million.

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Photos:Giant duck to conquer Taiwan

Adorable even at half-mast – The Kaohsiung duck team is using a new kind of air pump to inflate the rubber duck in just seven minutes -- the job normally takes more than an hour, according to Zeno Lai, the Kaohsiung City Government Information Bureau's director general.

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Photos:Giant duck to conquer Taiwan

Parting the waters – Looking for the perfect place to dock.

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Photos:Giant duck to conquer Taiwan

Yellow duck? More like golden duck – Hofman shakes hands with Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu ... The Dutch artist's month-long exhibition is expected to rake in more than $30 million.

"When we found out the rubber duck was coming to Hong Kong this year, we sent Hofman photos of Kaohsiung City and our mayor sent him a letter," said Zeno Lai, director general of the Kaohsiung Government Information Bureau and also the event's spokesperson.

"By the time we met Hofman in Hong Kong in June, he said more than 300 cities had contacted him for the next exhibition, including more than 20 cities in Taiwan," said Lai.

How Kaohsiung City won the duck's heart

According to Lai, Hofman was persuaded to bring his rubber duck to Kaohsiung by the city's tremendous enthusiasm for the unusual display.

And it was all yellow ... in May and June in Hong Kong, where the big duck drew more than eight million spectators.